Sheet-feeder



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

G. B. WUR'IZ.

SHEET FEEDER.

' N0. 573,952. Patented 1396.29, 1896,

MNE/vm@ WIT/VESSES ATTORNEYS wenn' (Nn Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

G. B. WURTZ.

SHEET FEEDER.

No, 573,952. Patented Deo'. 29, 1896,

w m E k w Y S f N I V anni L N m I N muni y @L lll U M k E Rm m E.immyuln I M lil@ .eng/gurgnull Y mi Byw? UNTTED STATES Fricn.

ATENT alf SHEET-FEEDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 573,952, dated December29, 1896. Application 'lled March 8, 1896il Serial No. 581.626. (Nomodell To @ZZ whom t may concern: Y

Be it known that I, GEORGE BLEY WURTZ, of Shreveport, in the parish ofCaddo and State of Louisiana, have invented a new and ImprovedSheet-Feeder, of which the following vis a full, clear, and exactdescription.

This invention relates to certain improvements in that class ofsheet-feeders which are adapted for feeding sheets of paper or the like,as, for example, to printing-presses or paperfolders; and the object ofthe invention is to provide a device of this character of a simple andinexpensive construction which shall be rapid and certain in itsoperation and not liable to become deranged and broken while in use, andwhich shall, moreover, be capable of feeding sheets of paper or thelikeof different sizes.

.The invention consists in a sheet-feeder comprising a suction-barhaving means for exhausting the air therefrom, an endless carrier uponwhich the Vsuction-bar is mounted, a blank-platform to receive thesheets to be fed, and means for actuating said endless earrier to causethe suction-bar to move from and toward the blank-platform.

The invention also contemplates certain novel features of theconstruction, combination, and arrangement of the various parts of theimproved sheet-feeder, whereby certain 'important advantages areattained andthe device is made simpler, cheaper, and otherwise betteradapted and more convenient for use than various other similar devicesheretofore employed, all as will be hereinafter fully set forth. Thenovel features of the invention will be carefully deiined in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis speciiication, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side view of a sheet-feeder constructed in accordance withmy invention. Fig. 2 is a front view thereof, a portion of thesuction-bar being shown in section; and Fig. 3 is an under side planview showing the suction-bar detached.

In the views, 1 indicates a suitable bedirame or table the centralportion of which forms, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a blankplatformadapted to receive a pile of blanks or sheets to be fed by thesheet-feeder, and

at opposite sides of one end of said bed-frame or table l are formedside plates 3, extending up from the upper face thereof, a short shaftor stud 4 being mounted on one of the said Aplates and adapted toreceive a wheel or disk 5, having on its periphery a segmental gearface6 and driven by means of a pitinan or plunger 7 from some suitableactuating device, which may be one of the moving parts of aprintingpress or folding-machine.

The table 1 is provided with adjustable stops 2, as clearly shown in thedrawings, t0 hold the sheets or blanks in place thereon, said stopsbeing provided with downwardlyinclined rear portions 2a, adj ustablysecured to' the said table or bed-frame, as clearly shown in dottedlines in Fig. 1.

The segmental gear-face l6 of the wheel or disk 5 is arranged to gearwith a pinion 8, secured on the outer end of a shaft 9, journaled in theside plate 3, where'cn the shaft or stud 4 is mounted, and said shaft 9extends transversely across the frame or table of the feeder, having itsopposite end journaled in the opposite side plate 3 thereof, as clearlyshown in Fig. 2. On the ends of the shaft 9, inside the side plates 3 ofthe frame or bed-plate, are secured pulleys or sheaves 10, havinggrooved peripheries, over each of which pulleys are adapted to run`belts 11 and 12, arranged side by side, the belts 11 being of greaterlength than the belts 12, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

The belts 1l extend up over grooved pulleys or sheaves 13 and 14,(having pins 11b, engaging perforations 11iL in said belts,) journaledon short shafts at the forward and rear upper corners of the side plates3 of the frame, as clearly shown in Fig. l, and at the rear lowercorners of the side plates 3 of the frame are mounted to turn othergrooved pulleys or sheaves 15, similar to the pulleys or sheaves 10. Theshorter belts 12 do not extend over the upper pulleys or sheaves 13 and14, but are arranged to pass over other sheaves or pulleys 16 (shown indotted lines in Fig. 1) and arranged about midway between the pulleys 10and l5 at the lower part of the side plates and the pulleys 13 and 14 atthe upper part of the sideplates 3.

A rod or bar 17 is secured .at its end portions to the belts l1 andextends transversely across the space between said belts, and ay ICOsimilar rod 18, of less length than the rod 17, is secured to theshorter belts 12 in a similar way below said rod 17. A suction-bar 19 ismounted on and carried by the rods 17 and 18, being provided with ahollow or chamber 20, formed interiorly in it, and said hollow is incommunication by way of a rubber tube 21 or the like with anair-exhausting device 22,

'comprising a cylinder having air-ports at one end, as shown at 23, andprovided with a pis,- ton mounted to reciprocate in it and held on apiston-rod 24, the end of which is connected by means of a link or connectn g-head 25 with the disk or wheel 5, as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

The suction-bar 19 is supported on the rods or bars 17 and 1S by meansof vertical arms 26, secured to it at its ends at their lower portionsand having their upper portions slotted, as indicated at 29 in Fig. 1,to receive at the upper-portions of said slots blocks 27, havingset-screws 28 and adapted to be clamped thereby upon the opposite endportions of the upper rod or bar 17, uniting the belts 11. The rod 18,uniting the belts 12. extends through the lower portions of the slots 29in the arms 2G.

The suctionebar 19 is provided on its under side with a facing orcushion 39, of rubber or equivalent elastic material, having apertures31 formedl in it at suitable points, and each of said apertures is incommunication with a duct 32, formed through the bottom of the'suction-bar and extending into the hollow or chamber 2O thereof, saidduct 32 being in communication with grooves or channels 33, formed inthebottom of the suction-bar within the openings 31 in the cushion 30 andradiating-v from said ducts, as clearly shown in Fig. The grooves orchannels form airspaces from which the air is exhausted through theducts'32 in such a way as to increase the suctionz upon the sheets.Opposite the ducts 32 are formed in the top of the suction-bar 19interiorly;screwethreaded openings adapted to receive screw-plugs 3l,forming stuffingboxes, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, and said plugs arelikewise provided'with interiorlythreaded openings which receivethreaded stemsfor bolts 35, having their lower ends adapted to formvalves which when turned will move down and close the ducts 32 in thebottom of the suction-bar, as indicated at y in Fig. 2.

The rods or bars 17 and 18 are spaced apart from each other a distancesubstantially equal to the distance'of the upper portion of theperiphery of one of the rollers 13 or 1h1- from the upperportion of theperiphery of one of the rollers 16, whereon the belts 12 are carried,and the arms 26 of the suction-bar will be by preference capable of acertain degree of vertical movemen-ton said rods or bars 17 In operationthe wheel or disk 5 has iinparted to it by means of the pitman 7 partialrotation alternately in opposite directions, whereby it will be seenthat the belts 11 and 12 will likewise be driven alternately in oppositedirections, owing to the gearing above described7 and said belts will bemoved equal distances. As the wheel or disk 5 moves in one direction itwill be seen that the rods or bars 17 and 18 will be first moved upward,as indicated by the arrow a in Fig. 2, so as to lift the suctioirbar offfrom the pile of blanks the air-exhausting device connected to saidsuction-bar having been previously actuated to exhaust the airtherefrom, so that the upper sheet on the blank-platform will be causedto adhere to the cushioned under side of the suction-bar and will beraisedv thereby. As the turning of the wheel or disk 5 continues therods or bars 17 18 will pass onto the horizontal upper portions of thebelts 11 and 12 and will move rearwardly, as indicated by the arrow b inFig. 1, carrying the suction-bar 19 and the sheet held thereby, and saidbars or rods will eventually move down the rear vertical portions of thebelts 11 and 12 and will assume the position indicated in dotted linesin Fig. 1, the vacuum being at this movement broken in the suction-barby the passage of the piston in the exhausting device beyond theair-ports 23 of the cylinder thereof. At the delivery end ofthesheet-feeder may be arranged any suitable device to receive the sheets,as, for example, a pair of grippingrollers or a platform or the likewhereon said sheets may be deposited.

Where sheets of less width than the length of the suction-bar 19 are tobe fed, it is' evident that one or more of the ducts 32 in the bottom ofthe bar may be closed,'as indicated at {1/ in Fig. 2, so that the vacuumformed within ythe chamber 20 of the'suc'tion-bar will act only throughthe ducts 32, `which are leftV that the device is susceptible ofconsiderable' modification without material departure from theprinciples and spirit of the invention, and for this reason I do notwishto be understood as limiting myself to the exact form and arrangement ofthe parts herein set forth.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In asheet-feeder, the combinationof a frame having a blank-platform, twoendless carriers mounted thereon and adapted to move in parallel planes,a suction-bar supported and moved bythe carriers, and means IOO IIO

IZO

for exhausting the air from said suction-bar, substantially as setforth.

2. In a sheet-feeder, the combination of a frame having` ablank-platform, two sets of endless carriers mounted to move thereon inparallel planes, the carriers of each set being opposite each other,rods extending between the carriers of each set, and a suction-barhaving arms guided on said rods and provided with means for exhaustingthe air therefrom, substantially as set forth.

3. In a sheet-feeder, the combination of a frame having ablank-platform, two series of endless belts mounted to move in parallelpaths on the frame, the belts of each set being opposite each other andthose of one set being inside the belts of the other set, rods extendingbetween the belts of each set, a suctionbar having arms guided on saidrods and adapted to be moved by said belts, and means for exhausting theair from the suction-bar, substantially as set forth.

4. In a sheet-feeder, the combination of a frame having ablank-platform, two series of endless belts mounted to move in parallelpaths on the frame, the belts of each set being opposite each otherandthose of one set being opposite directions, substantially as setforth. i

5. In a sheet-feeder, the combination of a frame having ablank-platform, two sets of endless carriers mounted to move thereon inparallel planes, said carriers having supporting sheaves and havingtheir end portions arranged vertically to the blank-platform and theirside portions arranged at right angles to their ends, the carriers ofeach set being opposite each other, and those of one set being insidethe carriers of the other set, rods extending across the space betweenthe carriers of each set, means for moving said carriers in oppositedirections, and a suction-bar having arms guided on said rods andprovided with means for exhausting the air therefrom, substantially asset forth.

. GEORGE B. WURTZ.

/Vitnesses:

CHARLES DAvIs, CLAIBE B. Soorr.

